Naza: When a Film is the News

For Heaven's Sake

Can a provocative film transform into an unshakeable weapon in the global battle over Israel's moral legitimacy? 


In this episode, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi dissect the intense cultural and political fallout surrounding "Naza," the award-winning Venice Film Festival documentary that accuses Israel of systematically embracing disproportionate
civilian deaths in Gaza. From the surreal spectacle of the film's record-breaking 25-minute standing ovation in Europe to sweeping indictments and unverifiable soldier testimony, they confront how the film alienates Israeli society rather than fosters genuine moral self-reflection during the High Holiday season of teshuvah. In the process, they discuss how the total erasure of Hamas's battlefield presence distorts Western understanding of asymmetric urban warfare. 


Mentioned in the show: 

"The ICJ's Pernicious Plan to Redefine Genocide," by Orde F. Kittrie and Andrés B. Muñoz-Mosquera, September 13, 2026, WSJ Opinion 

“Full speech: Ed Miliband says entire occupation unlawful, slams ‘settler terrorists’ and Israeli government that indulges them,” by British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband, September 8, 2026, Times of Israel 

More description

Can a provocative film transform into an unshakeable weapon in the global battle over Israel's moral legitimacy? 


In this episode, Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi dissect the intense cultural and political fallout surrounding "Naza," the award-winning Venice Film Festival documentary that accuses Israel of systematically embracing disproportionate
civilian deaths in Gaza. From the surreal spectacle of the film's record-breaking 25-minute standing ovation in Europe to sweeping indictments and unverifiable soldier testimony, they confront how the film alienates Israeli society rather than fosters genuine moral self-reflection during the High Holiday season of teshuvah. In the process, they discuss how the total erasure of Hamas's battlefield presence distorts Western understanding of asymmetric urban warfare. 


Mentioned in the show: 

"The ICJ's Pernicious Plan to Redefine Genocide," by Orde F. Kittrie and Andrés B. Muñoz-Mosquera, September 13, 2026, WSJ Opinion 

“Full speech: Ed Miliband says entire occupation unlawful, slams ‘settler terrorists’ and Israeli government that indulges them,” by British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband, September 8, 2026, Times of Israel 

2026-09-16 43 min Transcript
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